It is known that there are possibilities for escape in environments with a high risk potential. This applies especially to mining and tunnel construction. Since the possibility of escape is greatly limited precisely underground, it is common practice to provide underground refuge chambers, to which the workers can escape in an emergency situation. The people remain in this refuge chamber until after the emergency situation has been eliminated and rescue can correspondingly take place. Preservation of life within the refuge chamber must be guaranteed in prior-art refuge chambers for the people who are present in them. This should apply especially to vital functions, e.g., the temperature and the humidity of the air in the refuge chamber. Thus, it shall be ensured that the temperature will not rise to an undesired extent and the air humidity will not increase to an undesired extent due to the presence of the plurality of persons in a refuge chamber. Life-preserving measures could not otherwise be guaranteed with the desired safety any longer.
Monitoring of the temperature, especially cooling of the refuge chamber, usually by air conditioners, is guaranteed in prior-art refuge chambers. These air conditioners require an energy supply. However, emergency situations as they may occur underground are also frequently associated with explosion hazard. For example, there is a risk of so-called firedamp in mining, which could be ignited during the electrical operation of an air conditioner. These air conditioners in prior-art refuge chambers correspondingly must have a so-called explosion proofness, as a result of which the air conditioner becomes very expensive. Since, moreover, the external energy supply is frequently interrupted underground in an emergency situation or is actively interrupted, an emergency power supply, e.g., in the form of batteries, must be made available for the air conditioner. It can thus be stated in summary that cooling is costly and requires a large amount of space for construction in prior-art refuge chambers.